Rotary printing machine



May 18, 1965 F. P. ZIMMER 3,183,831

ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE Filed July 31, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l fwswz 9 Zwwse INVENTOR- May 18, 1965 F. P. ZIMMER 3,183,831

ROTARY PRINTING mcnms Filed Jul 31, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

F 142 Zn/r58 INVENTOR.

BY 11 552590; 4/4 0 fQ b/yflcz f United States Patent 3,183,831 ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE Franz Peter Zimmer, 7 Engelhartstrasse, Kufstein, Austria Filed July 31, 1961, Ser. No. 127,914 1 Claim. (Cl. 101-115) The present invention relates to a rotary printing machine for use in the textile industry, comprising a plurality of design cylinders spaced apart above a printing support, said design cylinders consisting in a gauze tensioned on two support rings eventually provided with ring gears.

Known devices in which the web fixed on an endless runner cloth is printed by means of rotating cylinders often are defective with regard to synchronisation and accurate lateral and longitudinal repeat adjustment, and are therefore unsatisfactory in multicolor printing.

Certain design cylinders having a jacket consisting in a gauze or screen are disposed round a printing roller and are driven by a gear-wheel fixed on said roller.

Another device for use in multicolor printing on fabrics and similar material comprises design cylinders disposed side by side on a horizontal row, the support for printing being supplied by counter rollers simultaneously driven by a shaft with bevel gear.

It is also known to dispose several cylinders with partial circumferences, the designs passing successively for completing the pattern.

The cylinders should be suitably tensioned in view of obtaining a satisfactory pressure and synchronization. The invention realizes this object by giving the gauze the shape of a closed cylinder, a supporting device for the design cylinders being provided outside the cylinder jacket, while tightening means holding the designs are engaged with support rings each of which is provided with a ring gear, said ring gear being in mesh directly or over intermediate members with endless chains running in synchronized movement on both sides of the design cylinders. The designs may be tensioned by means of screw bolts disposed inside the design cylinder. Such arrangement is specially advantageous when the design comprises a scraper attracted by a magnetic beam which serves as a printing support.

The spaced distance between the side disks for tensioning the designs may vary by displacing one or more rollers in axial direction of the cylinder, using therefor a pcripheral groove provided on the outer surface of the support rings. Other means may be also used to vary the tensioning, e.g. tensioning members anchored in bores provided in the support ring, or rods or ropes connecting gaid support rings to an axially displaceable holder, for example a tube-shaped rod extending beyond the cylinder.

The synchronized movement of the designs is effected by two endless chains running on both sides of the cylinders over coupled sprocket wheels. Such chains are in mesh directly or over intermediate members with the ring gears of the design cylinders. The chains may be driven by the same force which acts on the runner cloth, or they may have their own motive power preferably in cooperation with the runner cloth driving. The velocity of the runner cloth and of the chains may be synchronized by electric connection.

Instead of the usual chains there may be used analogous transmitting means such as perforated cone belts or the like.

The invention realizes in a simple way the lateral and longitudinal repeat adjustment of the individual designs.

What regards an exact longitudinal adjustment, the chains on both sides of their engagement with the ring gear are guided on two chain pulleys connected to a lever Patented May 18, 1965 system anddisplaceable normally to the direction of movement of the chain. The motion of the pulleys shifts the chain a bit forwards or backwards thus permitting a perfeet adjustment.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a simplified view of a rotary machine for design printing according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a detail of another embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a view showing an enlargement of the device for longitudinal repeat adjustment in FIG. 1.

The machine illustrated in FIG. 1 consists in a base frame 1 above the whole length of which extends an endless runner cloth 3 hinged on rollers 2, 2. Said runner cloth 3 is driven by one of the rollers, whereby the transmission may be regulated without ditferential. The treated web is attached, e.g. by pasting, to said runner cloth and so guided through the machine. Design cylinders 4, 4 are disposed above said runner cloth. There are as many cylinders spaced behind one another as there are colors to be applied. All cylinders have the same circumference dimension ranging preferably between 0.60 m. and 1.60 m. Said cylinders are set into rotation by the motion of the runner cloth or may have a motive power of their own. Printing supports in the shape of beams are disposed beneath the design cylinders. Each of the said cylinders contains a scraper which applies the color with more or less pressure power on the treated web, whereby the pressure may be efiected by magnetic or mechanical means.

The design cylinder 4 consists, in a gauze attached or tensioned on two support rings 5. Said rings have openings 6 disposed concentrically and holes 7 to receive screw bolts 8, the tensioning of the design being obtained by screwing the bolts on the support rings 5. Said rings are further provided with ring gears 9 equally concentrical to the cylinder axis. Said ring gears are in mesh directly, or over a sprocket wheel to which they are connected over a pinion, with endless chains 10, 10 running on both sides of the design cylinders. The chain drive keeps all the design cylinders in synchronized rotation. The chains run in synchronized motion as they are guided on chain wheels 11, 11' coupled through a shaft 12. The design cylinders and consequently the chains can be set into motion by the moving runner cloth 3 as mentioned in the foregoing, or the chains can have a driving source of their own, namely over a roller driven by the driving roller of the runner cloth.

Guiding members secure a safe mesh of the ring gear 9 and the chains 10. As to a safe bearing of the design cylinders 4, 4' this is secured by rollers 14 guided in peripheral grooves on the outer surface of the support rings 5, said rollers being attached to supporting members 15. The same groove further serves to guide a roller 13 which can be axially displaced and thus regulates in a simple way the lateral repeat adjustment of the designs. The device 34 for longitudinal repeat adjustment will be described together with the embodiment represented in FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of a tensioning device for a design cylinder 16 only partially represented. Support rings 17 provided with the already described concentrical openings 18 and ring gears 19 are furthermore provided with peripheral grooves 20 to receive the tensioning members and to ensure the guidance of rollers 21, 22, 23. Said rollers are connected to handwheels 25 over screw bolts 24 which co-operate with screwed sleeves 26 rigidly connected by a holder 27 to the base frame 1, so that a rotation of said handwheels 25 will effect an axial displacement of the rollers 21, 22, 23. In this manner the support rings 17 can be displaced and the designs are 3 tensioned. An arrangement comprising at least three such rollers on both sides spares the adjustment device 14, 15 shown in FIG. 1 and is also useful for the lateral repeat adjustment (see roller 13 in FIG. 1).

1 As can be seen from FIG. 3 the use of chains for synchronizing the individual design cylinders allows a peculiar longitudinal repeat adjustment to take place. On both r of its engagement with the ring gear 9, so that the design cylinder is moved forward or backward. Shafts 37, 38 transmit the up and down motion of the rollers 28, 29 to the corresponding rollers on the opposite side of the'design cylinders. I

As is clear from the construction shown in FIGURE. 1

the rollers 13 and 14 maintain the design cylinder in'the printing station and also prevent longitudinal and vertical printing support, each design cylinder comprising a gauze,

two spaced support rings on which said gauge is tensioned, a ring gear'upon each support ring having a diameter less than said support ring, said gauze having the shape of a closed cylinder, tightening means for said gauze engaging said support rings, endless chains running in synchronized movement on both sides of said design cylinders in mesh with saidring gears for rotating said design cylinders, each of said support rings having an annular groove therein, a plurality of axially displaceable rollers guided in said' groove, means for holding said rollers in said groove in a plurality of circumferentially spaced positions whereby said design cylinder is supported against movement in longitudinal and vertical directions, means for axially displacing at least one of said rollers, a lever pivotally mounted adjacent each end of each design cylinder, a pair of: vertically adjustable chain rollers operativelyconnected to each lever, one at each end thereof, and so disposed that one of said pair of chain rollers is in front of andthe other behind the design cylinder, whereby pivotal movement of the lever causes movement of said chain rollers in opposite vertical directions, said chains being conducted over said chain rollers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,526,266 2/25 De Smet 101 -127 X 1,588,318 6/26 De Smet 101-116 2,071,824 2/37 Engert 101-116 2,206,570 7/40 Johnston 101-116 X 2,217,133 10/40 Overlack 101-115 2,906,201 9/59 Blair 101-116 2,949,851 8/60 Ghormley et al. 101-248 FOREIGN PATENTS 629,201 4/36 Germany.

DAVID KLEIN, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, WILLIAM B. PENN,

, Examiners. 

